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Outstanding October Offerings!

Oops! My SciFi

Outstanding October Offerings! You get memes, book reviews, videos, and sci-fi like stories that are science. Plus, free audiobooks!

Why is it your lucky day? Because I’m celebrating seven years as a self-published author.

Outstanding October
Wife’s garden plot

I’m author Andy Zach and let’s start off with this meme.

My wife’s a gardener, so it’s very natural for me to see her digging in our yard. But this hole would make me think she was plotting something–even though I’m the plotter in the family.

Still, I dedicated my first book Zombie Turkeys to here. (Click to get your autographed copy.) Click here if you want to buy from Amazon for more and not directly from me.

Outstanding October Offerings: A Free Short Story

This is y wife’s favorite short story in my collection, Oops! Tales of the Zombie Turkey Apocalypse. The chapter icon is created by my illustrator Sean “Fuzzy” Flanagan.

Oops! My SciFi
Outstanding October

He was dead. At least, his business was. And without his business, his wife would leave him and take their new baby. Then he might as well be dead.

His dad had run the Elysium Fields Mortuary for thirty years and had made a killing at it. The first and only mortuary in their small town of Hillvale, everyone got buried there. He charged normal prices, he was friendly, and he helped their community.

His dad said to him when he was a teen, “Irving, after you get your college degree, go to mortuary school, and when you come out, I’ll hire you and then turn the business over to you. You’ll be set for life.”

Irv had no other plans. He liked this cute blonde Shelley in high school, and she liked him. So he learned the business, got his degree in psychological counseling, and came back and married her. Just as he promised, his dad turned Elysium Fields over to him after a few years and retired to Florida with his mom.

A Free Short Story Part 2

The first years had been great. People were dying to be his customers. He and Shelley remodeled his parents’ old house, went on vacations around the world, had his and her luxury cars. Shelley had their son, Nathan. Then the bottom dropped out of his business.

Rather than dying normally, people were taking zombie blood. Lung cancer? Gone. Heart disease? Cleared up. Severe accidents? Limbs grew back. Most people then took the vaccine to remove the zombie disease, because who wants to be a zombie with glowing red eyes? But they were still alive and healthy.

Click to read more!

Outstanding October – Guitar Boogie by Roy Clark

A SciFi Review by Andy Zach

Andy Zach

Author 10 books

91 followers

September 30, 2023

Eric Flint, Gorg Huff, and Paula Goodlett combine for a fast-moving novel in the 1632 alternate history series. In this book, the Sovereign States are a democratic union within Russia, vying for power with traditional dictatorships in other parts of Russia.

Even for devoted fans of the series, keeping track of dozens of Russian names can be daunting. But after about halfway through the book it clicked for me and I knew pretty well who everyone was.

The uptimer characters from the 21st century town of Grantville, Bernie and Brandy exert their influence, but they’re just part of the cast.

Military logistics are a key part of this novel as various armies maneuver in the vast expanse of Russian territory. Czar Mikhail of the Sovereigns cleverly keeps expanding his network of communication, airfields, and railroads to keep one step ahead of his enemies.

The reader gets a good sense of the fragmentary nature of the Russian territory and the vast distances involved.

Military buffs, historians, Russian devotees and lovers of steampunk should all enjoy this novel.

A Non-Andy Zach SciFi Review

Villain's Vacation cover
Outstanding October
Villain’s Vacation cover

Brad Secrest

50 reviews

1 follower

October 8, 2023

What a fresh take on the superhero genre. Teenage kids with profound disabilities and super powers. And, don’t forget the super hamster. I love the blending of storytelling the author displays that throws him into the characters as the one documenting these super kid’s lives and the defeat of their villains. I gotta read more from this author!

Outstanding October – Tell Me What you Think!

Meet My Characters
Outstanding October
Oops! back cover

Let me know what you think by clicking here or emailing me at [email protected]. As always, everyone who responds with a comment or email will get a free book from me.

You can get an autographed copy of Oops! directly from me by clicking here. Free shipping and I pay the sales tax.

Or you can get it on Amazon for .99 or 12.95. ($2.99 if you don’t get it right away.)

If you want to keep track of all my blog posts and get free books you can subscribe to my newsletter by clicking here. You also get all my audiobooks for free!

Psst! Audible lets you listen free to my books. Click here to find out how.

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My Seventh-Year Anniversary as a Self-Published Author

Get Your Zombie Turkeys Laughter
Sixth-Year Anniversary
My Seventh-Year Anniversary
Zombie Turkeys front cover. Click to get a copy!

My Seventh-Year Anniversary as a Self-Published Author–how did I do it? How is it going so far? Hold onto your socks, because I’ll tell you all about it.

But before anything, grab a copy of my book for free. It’s free for 3 days, October 1-3 to celebrate my anniversary! Click here now!

On October 31st, 2016, I published this book:

Sam Melvin, an underachieving e-reporter from a small town, changes forever when he meets turkeys that won’t stay dead. You can shoot ’em, chop ’em, burn ’em—they come back stronger. The undead plague of poultry spreads uncontrollably, rocking the whole country. . .

From Zombie Turkeys’ Blurb

So, what happened next? What happened before the publication?

In the beginning . . .

Only Three Days Left: Get Your Free Book
My Sixth-Year Anniversary
My Seventh-Year Anniversary
A turkey who missed the free book offer. Click to get your free book.

Caterpillar forcibly retired me in October 2015. I didn’t want to rust on the pile of retirement, so I decided I would start writing a book. But I needed a topic. I wanted something light and funny.

We got a new turkey fryer and I tested it out. I brought in the fried turkey on a platter and said, “Imagine if this turkey came back to life!” Then someone said, “It’d be a zombie turkey.”

“Eureka! That’s it! That’s my book! Zombie turkeys! A whole apocalypse of them. It’ll be a parody of all zombie books ever written.”

My Seventh-Year Anniversary – What Happened Next?

I wrote about 48,000 words in November in the book for NaNoWriMo. Then I finished it in December. Then I edited it: six times over until March. I decided I needed an editor–and got her, Dori Harrell.

Then I decided to learn about publishing. I read about six books. I also took a writing course at my alma mater, Bradley university. Who knew point-of-view was so important?

I created a project plan for self-publishing. Then I decided to publish through Amazon, since it was easier and cheaper.

I went back and forth with my editor about six times. The novel was ready to publish, with 54,000 words.

Oops! I forgot to get a cover illustration! I needed one done and it was July 2016.

The Making of the Zombie Turkeys Cover

My Sixth-Year Anniversary
My Seventh-Year Anniversary
A cover draft. Click to see more.

Fortunately, I already wrote a blog post about this process. Click the title or here to read it.

Oh, I forgot. I also worked with my illustrator Sean “Fuzzy” Flanagan on my chapter icons. Read about it here: How we Made Zombie Turkeys Chapter Icons.

My Seventh-Year Anniversary – Format Editing

Text formatting–so simple–NOT! Readers expect books to be formatted a certain way. If you break the rules–like not starting your book on the right-hand page–you look like a rank amateur.

Which I was. But I didn’t want to look that way. I only got one chance to make a first impression. So I hired Rik Hall. He’s fast. He’s experienced. And he made my book in both paperback and ebook formats.

Finally I was ready. I uploaded my file to Amazon and ordered my proof copy. My launch date was set for October 31st, 2016 and ordered fifty paper copies from Amazon.

I was ready to launch. What happened next? Read my next blog to find out!

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Meet My Books from Author Andy Zach

Your Unique Book Sale

Meet My Books from Author Andy Zach.

But you say, “Um, Andy, you’ve been telling us about your books for seven years already on this blog.”

You’ve never seen them like this! Behold! My sales page.

Tremble, Amazon.

Now Amazon also has my books but they will never compare their prices with mine.

But I will.

Life After Life Chronicles: Zombie Turkeys, Zombie Detective, My Undead Mother-in-law, and Oops are all $12, autographed by me, from my website. Aazon is 12.95 for all those. Paranormal Privateers is $15 from y site, $15.95 on Amazon.

My other series is Secret Supers, Villain’s Vacation, and Secret Supers in Space. Those are all $7 on my website and $7.95 from Amazon.

“But wait, Andy!” you say. “Aazon gives me freee shipping!”

“So do I. Checkmate.”

I have one more book for you, I’ll tell you about at the end of this post.

Meet My Books – The Life After Life Chronicles

Meet My Books

I was going to write some clever blurb for each book in the series, but I decided to let you read a review from a reader for each one.

Zombie Turkeys

  • Overall    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story    5 out of 5 stars

Listener received this title free

“I feel great” about this amazing book

Zombie Turkeys Reviews
Chapter 2 Icon

It is amazing that such a funny title and a random premise could make such an enjoyable experience. This story was fantastic. Certainly the narrator made the story come alive, but I can’t say how many times I “laughed out loud” while reading this book. Only one other book in my life ever made me feel this way. I enjoyed this story. It is a zombie-apocalypse book with political thriller feel as well as a home-town romance subplot. I would give it 10 stars if I could. Read it (listen!) and laugh. And learn how to be prepared for that zombie turkey apocalypse.

Meet My BooksZombie Detective

Your Thirteenth Literary Gift
Meet My Books
  • Overall    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story    5 out of 5 stars

Listener received this title free

Not a typical zombie story!

Based on the title and the cover, I originally thought the detective was going to be a zombie back in the 30s or 40s. That wasn’t the case, but it was still a hilarious amateur detective story and I loved the absurdity of it all.

It’s a short read (or listen, since I listened to the audiobook), but is packed with Sam in crazy situations with all sorts of zombies. His string of good luck is as unlikely as the conundrums he finds himself involved in, but somehow it works for him.

Phil Blechman was the perfect choice for Sam’s character. Lauren Testerman did a great job channeling Lisa, the poor woman who has to manage Sam and all his antics.

Meet My BooksMy Undead Mother-in-law

Best August Videos
Meet My Books
Zombie corgi in Scotland from ‘My Undead Mother-in-law’
  • Overall    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story    5 out of 5 stars

Listener received this title free

One of the most funny books about zombies

One of the most funny books about zombies, where the zombies are not the monster or the bad guy, actually being zombified, cures all sorts of health problems, from being overweight to the death doors, and you feel much more energetic and strong.

And what can I say that wont give spoilers, but it will explain in details what I did enjoy about this audiobook, both voice actors, you had a male and a female, they seemed to enjoy themselves while they were reading it, so it was so much more fun, it was also very nice the way they interact with the other, great fun, the story was also fun, and with lots of action and violence, but in a way that you will find yourself laughing out loud while listening to the violence, yeah the first dinner in the parents-in-law in the first few minutes of the book set what I was sure I would find during the book and it didn’t disappoint.

Meet My Books- Paranormal Privateers

Paranormal Privateers Chapter 9 icon
Meet My Books
Flying Saucer over Washington DC – Paranormal Privateers Chapter 9 icon
  • Overall    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story    5 out of 5 stars

Listener received this title free

I love Andy Zach’s Audiobooks.

First off, I want to apologize to Mr Andy for not Reviewing these books at a lot earlier time.
Again I can’t say anything but how much I have enjoyed the three books in this Series. The performance by Phil Blechman was great. I especially loved the voice of the Alien, and the Villains. Y’all just have to check out this Series, you won’t be disappointed. Thanks again Mr Andy Zach.

Meet My Books – Oops! Tales of the Zombie Turkey Apocalypse

Meet My Books
  • Overall    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story    5 out of 5 stars

Listener received this title free

Great intro to the author’s works

This is a great book to start with if you haven’t tried any Andy Zach book before. It contains stories from both his Life After Life zombie comedy series and his superhero story Super Secrets. It also shows you Zach’s sense of humor (plus there’s one little horror story that isn’t overly gruesome). This book is great for both kids and adults and works just fine on it’s own.

I loved the silly story of the flying zombie cucumbers. Ha! Very fanciful. And they have migratory routes, like butterflies! Very silly and had me chuckling. I also loved the story with the hamster (who does play a role in Secret Supers). Perhaps rodents will truly save the world some day.

The stories also help fill in some of the blanks of the zombie comedy series, including one about Diane (the beloved zombie mother-in-law). But what I really liked was the stuff about genetic engineering and the aliens. Book 3 of the Life After Life Chronicles had a lot of stuff tossed into the story and some of these short stories really help fill those parts out.

No time life for the Secret Supers! I’ll cover those in another post.

Meet My Books – My Non-Fiction Book

It’s hard to believe, but I wrote a non-fiction book. It took me forty years to write. But it was worth it.

Gospel Medley Writer's Block: My Experience
The Gospel Medley cover. Click to get

Are you curious about Jesus Christ? Do you struggle to understand the Bible? The Gospel Medley includes the four Gospels in a single narrative, faithfully pulling the text from the World English Bible. You are now able to read all the gospel as a single, easy-to-read story.

Each Gospel describes Jesus’s life from a different point of view with different details and insights. The Gospel Medley combines every word into a single perspective with all details and events arranged chronologically.

Unlike other harmonies, The Gospel Medley doesn’t put the four gospels in columns or rows. Instead, the text is integrated word by word into a smoothly flowing narrative. Further, each paragraph references the four gospels so you can read the original citations. You also get footnotes of all the quotes from the Old Testament, giving you the context of Jesus’s words.

For a unique perspective of the four gospels, read ‘The Gospel Medley’ today.

Click Below to Get Your Copy of the Gospel Medley!

Your Twenty-Fourth Literary Gift
The four icons of the four gospels

Any newsletter subscriber gets free audiobook codes–as long as they last. Click here to get yours. Don’t wait!

Do you want an autographed book? I’ll mail it directly to you with free shipping and I pay the taxes! Click here to get yours right now.

Got questions? Comments? Reach me directly by clicking here. I’ll answer it as soon as possible.